Our focus to offer Angels at a service near to Christmas to those who have struggled with the loss of a loved one during the Pandemic continues. Angels are now landing everywhere – question:
What sound does an Angel make upon landing?
I suppose we should not be afraid as we keep hearing that in the Nativity plays 😉 Here we have possibly some Angels from Mexico (?)…
Other Angels have also arrived, possibly representing the sky, cloud and the sun.
What are your thoughts about Angels, do we all have a guardian angel?
Angels are ‘messengers‘. I wonder whether our angels might bring a message of love for all this Christmas?
Harvest
We may have already been to our Harvest Festival: here is display at the Partick Methodist Church, including a stuffed knitted pumpkin.
It’s amazing when we see the variety of colours and of course the different countries that our food comes from. With Harvest we might be taking our produce from our gardens. Some have taken the last of their apples in, to wrap them individually so they can be enjoyed throughout the winter.
Some have been making (and stuffing) Canaries. Why? As a reminder to our representatives in Parliament that canaries were the first indicators of a disaster. The Climate Changes required to limit, at the very worst, a 1.5 degree increase in temperature are so necessary.
Others are knitting a hexagonal square, which seems to connect with the patterns we see in nature, especially as spiders spin their webs and they are coated in the morning frost. This all helps with connecting ourselves to the seasons, an aspect of mindfulness.
Others have been getting ahead, or is that a-foot (?) with making Christmas stockings, adding a feather to the outside.
Heaven and Hell is arriving
We were notified by Alexa – other voice activated buttons also exist – that Heaven and Hell was arriving this morning. It’s a book… but the warning was a cautionary note, don’t you think?
What might it sound like? Visions of it landing lightly with an angelic chorus heralding its entrance at the front of the house, whilst white noise might accompany Hell as it screeches, tyres flaming, to the back door. Then someone suggested that Hell might be the total absence of noise…How comfortable are we with silence?
Often people go away on ‘retreat’ even silent retreats. How might we cope with complete silence, trying to mime asking for the marmalade at breakfast, raising the eyebrows when someones’ stomach makes a sound: what else might we hear when we turn off all our electrical gadgets?
During the pandemic, animals were seen often in town centres as they became deserted. In Llandudno, goats wandered freely around occupying places humans normally frequent…
Crocheted Angels Pattern
Here is a crochet pattern for Angels. I am the very last person to decide whether this is complicated or not – all knitting patterns are far too complex for me – give me a computer programme any day!
This Angel is crocheted with medium weight yarn and a 4 mm (G) hook. Like my other crochet Angels, she does not require stiffening to stand and can be crocheted in only a few short hours. The smaller Angel is crocheted with Red Heart Fashion Crochet Thread (Size 3) and a 3.25 mm hook. She measures 4.5 inches tall and 2.25 inches wide.
- Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver – (7 oz/198 g; 364 yds/333 m), 100% acrylic. Medium [4] Weight.
Color: White. My finished angel used 0.95 oz / 27 g (50 yards / 46 m) - Hook: 4.0 mm (G) Furls Odyssey (pictured) in the photos of the wings.
- Scissors, Yarn Needle, Stitch Marker (is recommended – safety pins work/paper clips too/hoop earrings)
- Poly-Fil
- HALO: Bowdabra Bow Wire – Color Gold and 2.25 mm (B) crochet hook
Using your 4 mm (G) hook (or size required for gauge):
R1: Work 6 sc in a DMR. [6 sc]
R2: 2 sc in each sc around. [12 sc]
R3: *2 sc in the next st, 1 sc in the next st**. Rep from * to ** around. [18 sc]
R4-R6: 1 sc in each st around. [18 sc]
R7: *Sc2tog over the next 2 sts, 1 sc in the next st**. Rep from * to ** around. [12 sc]
I recommend you firmly stuff the head at this point.
R8: Sc2tog around. [6 sc]
R9: 1 FPsc in each st around. [6 FPsc]
R10: 1 sc and 1 FPsc in each st around. [6 sc, 6 FPsc]
R11: 1 sc in the first st, 2 sc in the next st, 1 sc in each of the next 5 sts, 2 sc in the next st, 1 sc in each of the next 4 sts. [14 sc]
R12: 1 sc in the first st, ch 3, sk 2 sts, 1 sc in each of the next 5 sts, ch 3, sk 2 sts, 1 sc in each of the next 4 sts. [10 sc, 2 ch3sp]
R13: 1 sc in the first st, 1 sc in the bl of each of the next 3 chs, 1 sc in each of the next 5 sts, 1 sc in the bl of each of the next 3 chs, 1 sc in each of the next 4 sts [16 sc]
R14: 1 sc in each st around. [16 sc]
R15: 1 FPsc in each st around. Sl st to the first FPsc to join. [16 FPsc]
R16: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc) and 2 dc in the first FPsc (this is the same FPsc that you sl st to join in at the end of R15) and sk the next FPsc. *3 dc in the next FPsc, sk the next FPsc**. Rep from * to ** around. Sl st to the top of the initial ch 3 to join. [24 dc]
R17-R19: 1 sl st in each of the next 2 dc, 1 sl st into the sp bef the next dc, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc) and 2 dc in the same sp. *Sk 3 dc, 3 dc into the sp bef the next dc**. Rep from * to ** around. Sl st to the top of the initial ch 3 to join. [24 dc]
R20: 1 sl st in each of the next 2 dc, 1 sl st into the sp bef the next dc, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc) and 3 dc in the same sp. *Sk 3 dc, 4 dc into the sp bef the next dc**. Rep from * to ** around. Sl st to the top of the initial ch 3 to join. [32 dc]
R21: 1 sl st in each of the next 3 dc, 1 sl st into the sp bef the next dc, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc) and 3 dc in the same sp. *Sk 4 dc, 4 dc into the sp bef the next dc**. Rep from * to ** around. Sl st to the top of the initial ch 3 to join. [32 dc]
R22: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), 1 FPsc in each st around. [32 FPsc]
We will not be working into the FPsc from R22. Instead, we will be working into the top of the double crochet stitches (under the front and back loops) that you can still see behind the FPsc from R22.
R23: Working behind the FPsc and into the dc sts from R21: 1 sc in each st around. [32 sc]
R24: *1 sc in the first st, 1 sp-sc in the next st**. Rep from * to ** around. [16 sc, 16 sp-sc]
R25: 1 sc in each st around. [32 sc]
R26: 1 BPsc in each st around. Finish off with an invisible join. [32 BPsc]
Arms
Make 1.
The arm is created in one piece; worked flat and then seamed on the long edges with a slip stitch seam. Once the arm is complete you thread it through the openings on either side of the angel’s body, being sure to keep an equal amount of “arm” on each side. You can whipstitch these in place if you wish – I did not. I simply used 2 small stitches to attach the hands together in a “prayer” pose.
R1: Ch 21, beg in 2nd ch from hook and work 1 sc in each across, ch 1, turn [20]
R2: 1 sc in each st across, ch 1, turn [20]
R3: Rep R2, ch 1, turn [20]
Fold the rectangle in half (along row 2) and seam the long edges using a slip stitch seam. Finish off and weave in any remaining ends.
Wings
Make 2
R1: Ch 10, beg in the 2nd ch from the hook and work 1 sl st in the bl of each ch across, ch 1, turn [9]
R2: 1 sl st in the bl of each of the next 8 sts, sk the last st, ch 2, turn [8]
R3: 1 sl st in the bl of each st across, ch 1, turn [8]
R4: 1 sl st in the bl of each of the next 7 sts, sk the last st, ch 2, turn [7]
R5: 1 sl st in the bl of each st across, ch 1, turn [7]
R6: 1 sl st in the bl of each of the next 6 sts, sk the last st, ch 2, turn [6]
R7: 1 sl st in the bl of each st across, ch 1, turn [6]
R8: 1 sl st in the bl of each of the next 5 sts, sk the last st, ch 2, turn [5]
R9: 1 sl st in the bl of each st across, ch 1, turn [5]
R10: 1 sl st in the bl of each of the next 4 sts, sk the last st, ch 2, turn [4]
R11: 1 sl st in the bl of each st across, ch 1, turn [4]
R12: 1 sl st in the bl of each of the next 3 sts, sk the last st, ch 2, turn [3]
R13: 1 sl st in the bl of each st across, ch 1, turn to work along the row ends. [3]
You will be making a sc7tog. Insert hook in every other row end (there is a small space you will see) and pull up 1 loop in each. You will have 8 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all 8 loops. Ch 1 and finish off leaving a long yarn tail to sew the wings in place.
Halo
The halo is the only part of this project to use a different hook and thread. Please use the 2.25 mm (B) hook and the Gold Bowdabra Bow Wire. This is a thin piece of wire wrapped in gold metallic thread. I found mine at Michael’s in the ribbon section. It can stand on it’s own which is why I like it – and it is much thinner than pipe-cleaner (which was what I had been considering).
I crocheted the halo like this:
Ch 20, finish off leaving a tail of the bow wire. Now take the tail and thread it through the 7th chain from the opposite end. This will create the halo loop. Now twist (like a twist-tie) the two remaining ends together to make it straight and stiff. Take that one end (since you twisted them together you have one wire now) and thread it through the back of the angel’s head and down to the base of the neck before cutting off any of the excess wire. If you want to dab a bit of fabric glue in there to keep it in place you can.
COP26
We meet again on the second day of COP26: Monday 1st November – what do our crafts offer for a sustainable world?
I have read the dialogue it was very good